The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for allowing interaction between an individual and a display screen, such as the monitor of a computer system or a television set.
Human interaction with a display screen, such as a computer monitor, is generally achieved by means of a keyboard having keys assigned to a particular function or ASCII code for typing a specific letter on the screen. Alternatively a mouse or track-ball may be used to move a cursor around a computer display screen thereby targeting particular features or functions provided by the system.
The mouse is moved over a horizontal surface to cause a corresponding movement of a cursor over the vertical surface of the display screen. Once the cursor is positioned over the required feature, the mouse is clicked resulting in access being gained to the particular chosen feature. The ability to move the mouse correctly and efficiently does require a significant amount of practice and, even once mastered, does necessitate that the cursor be exactly in position to enable the feature to be selected. The mouse also has to be attached, for example by means of a lead, to the computer hardware in order to operate and hence, the operator has to be situated within close proximity of the computer screen. Furthermore, the mouse has to be moved over a flat surface hence necessitating the use of a desk or other suitable surface for allowing interaction with the computer display screen.
Alternative systems have been developed such as a touch sensitive surface. This involves the computer screen being divided into particular regions having a pictorial or other suitable representation for each region. A pressure-sensitive screen is provided over the display to allow the operator to touch the screen and select the function or feature by means of the representation corresponding to said feature or function. This requires the computer operator to be positioned close to the computer screen which is not always desirable.
Television sets also allow interaction therewith by the user, such as by means of a remote controller unit. For example, particular features on teletext may be selected by pressing an appropriate button on the remote controller unit, such as the button which is marked by a particular colour corresponding to a topic covered by teletext, such as news, sport or weather. Alternatively, particular directories may be accessed by pressing an access number given on the TV screen. The use of icons or wording on the remote controller unit may also allow the user to select the feature of his or her choice.
The aforementioned processes do have a number of drawbacks, such as being slow to operate due to the requirement to visually select the appropriate button or carefully move the mouse to position the cursor in the centre of an icon. The dedication of keys to specific functions also severely limits the number of functions which may be selected using a remote controller unit or keyboard. It is also not always appropriate for the operator to be in close proximity to the display screen.